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Shops are planning to offer a new "same day return" service which could make sending back unwanted purchases easier in time for Christmas.

The service will allow shoppers who buy items online, and then find they are not suitable, an easier way to send them back.

The average online shopper has unwanted but unreturned goods worth £66 at home at any given time, amounting to £3.2bn for all UK shoppers, according to retail logistics firm Stuart.

It is understood that online fashion retailer Asos is in advanced talks to become the first in the UK to offer the service to millions of customers.

At present shoppers returning items online must physically post them back. But shops with "same day returns" policies will send couriers to pick up items from people's homes within hours of them pressing a button on a smartphone app.

Nike and Nespresso are also understood to be considering adopting the service. David Sanez, chief operating officer at Stuart, said: “With more retailers offering same day deliveries, it only makes sense to also offer same day returns.

“Consumers will benefit from greater convenience, a better shopping experience and time back in their day. At a tap of an app, consumers can book a return at a time and place which suits them, even within the hour. No longer will we have to schedule in life admin in our busy lives to visit a Post Office or a pick up point.

“For retailers, same day returns mean a faster turnaround, reducing the number of items that will end up out of season by the time they’re redistributed. This means retailers are more likely to have the items we want, in our size, available to buy when we want it.

It comes after retailers including Asos and Argos have launched same-day delivery options ahead of the festive shopping rush.

Dubbed ASOS Instant, the fashion retailer's new service is available to customers who place their orders before 10am between Sunday and Friday.

For a fee of £12.95 parcels are then delivered on the evening of the same day between 6pm and 10pm. Argos last week opened two new "regional fulfilment" centres in Reading and Birmingham, allowing six million extra households to access same-day and next-day delivery.

Last year retail experts said Black Friday had ruined the Boxing Day and January sales as a record number of returned online orders meant that stock was delayed in warehouses, potentially leaving shop shelves empty.

As a result of higher rates of internet shopping than expected and returns, up to one in five items was absent in store sales, returns firm Clear Returns warned.

The company said that because it took warehouses several days to process and prepare items for resale, huge volumes of Black Friday returns did not make it back into shops in time.